The present invention relates to an extensible footrest, particularly for armchairs, sofas and the like.
More particularly, the invention relates to an extensible footrest with high operating safety.
Conventional sofas, armchairs and the like have an extensible footrest which allows the user to comfortably stretch out his legs being supported by the extensible footrest which moves from an inactive position, in which it is substantially adjacent to the edge of the armchair or sofa, and against which the calves of the user rest, to an active position, in which the footrest is substantially horizontal with respect to the ground and horizontally supports the user""s legs.
Conventional footrests are generally provided with an extension mechanism which is known as scissors-type opening. This solution is widely used owing to its manufacturing simplicity and to the gradual and effective extension that it can ensure for the footrest.
In particular, the extension mechanism relies on arms which are provided on either side of the footrest, connect the footrest to the frame of the armchair or sofa, and move according to a substantially pantograph- or scissorlike configuration, however with the drawback that gaps form between them during opening and closure movements with possible danger for the user.
If the user inadvertently inserts a finger in such gaps, the result may in fact be severe injury due to the folding movement of the arms onto each other, consequently eliminating the previously created gaps.
This drawback is even more severe if the users are children, who have limited perception of danger.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an extensible footrest, particularly for armchairs, sofas and the like, having a movement mechanism which avoids creating dangers for the safety of users.
Within the scope of this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide an extensible footrest, particularly for sofas, armchairs and the like, in which the footrest extension mechanism ensures, in addition to a substantially complete lack of dangers for users, a smooth and gradual extension and folding movement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an extensible footrest, particularly for armchairs, sofas and the like, whose overall dimensions are substantially comparable to those of conventional extension mechanisms.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an extensible footrest, particularly for armchairs, sofas and the like, which is highly reliable, relatively simple to manufacture and at competitive costs.
These and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an extensible footrest, particularly for armchairs, sofas and the like, characterized in that it comprises a frame which is adapted to be hinged to a frame of a seat of an armchair, sofa or the like, said footrest frame being constituted by a first pair of lateral arms and by a second pair of lateral arms which are slideable with respect to said first pair of lateral arms, at least one actuator being rigidly connected to said seat frame at one end and to said footrest frame at an opposite end, in order to transfer said footrest frame from a first retracted inactive position to an extended active position.